Goaltending
instruction has come a long way over the past decade or so. Young
Mite goalies to veteran college athletes can make pretty butterfly
slides and look the part of an intelligent goalie to the naked eye.
While instructional techniques have clearly trickled down to the
youth level, I see a lack of hockey sense from many young
netminders. They know how a save is made; they just don’t know how
to make the right decision on when and where to use it. You can have
the most beautiful technique in the world, but if you give a shooter
time and space to score, the pretty save won’t work.

Goalies have gap
control issues just like defensemen do. For example, if a talented
player like Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin comes at a D in a
one on one situation, the tendency is to think “Oh my gosh, I’ve got
to back up so I don’t get beat”. In reality, the D is better off
keeping a closer gap on Crosby or Ovechkin so there is less space
for them to attack into. I see many young goalies that have no
concept of gap control whatsoever. Some are “stuck like glue” on the
goal line, some are “happy wanderers” and others are “Statues of
Liberty”. All three have issues when it comes to controlling
goalmouth real estate. Let’s look at these three flawed goaltenders
a little more closely to see if you fall into one of these
categories.

Stuck-Like-Glue Goal Line Hermits:

I tend to call
these goalies turtles because they seem to feel more comfortable
being close to their shell (the goal). They rarely venture outside
the crease so shooters have the advantage both with the scoring
angles and with deking space. When a goalie is stuck like glue on
the goal line, shooters can visually see all four corners and the 5
Hole without distraction. When a goalie has a closer gap to the
shooter, the net is hidden better. If a shooter decides to quickly
deke across the crease, he or she has all sorts of time and space to
score because the goalie is too deep in the net to take away some
scoring options. The goalie may “feel” safe, but in reality, the
goalie will always be under pressure to make athletic saves since
the puck is too far away for the goalie to make balanced, controlled
saves. When a goalie has a closer gap on the scoring angle, there is
less distance to the puck which then makes the goalie look faster
making saves since there isn’t very far to move. When a goalie is
deep in the crease, the shooter has time and space to make a great
shot which will then require the goalie to have to make a more
acrobatic save then is really necessary. When a goalie is “on”, he
or she may make these saves despite the bad positioning. However,
when this type of goalie is not “on”, the goalie may be called
“Touchdown” since 7 or more goals may get scored unnecessarily!

Happy
Wanderers:

I sometimes ask
young goalies if they get paid by the mile. There is no reason to do
a ton of unnecessary skating. Crease presence is huge when it comes
to forcing opposing shooters into mistakes. When I see a goalie
skate out to the hashmarks before the opponents have even crossed
the center red line and then I see them skating backwards a million
miles an hour before the puck even enters the zone, I really shake
my head over all that wasted energy. Goalies should step out a few
feet from the top of the crease as the play comes over the red line
and then stop squarely facing the puck. Stay square to the
puckcarrier but don’t retreat until the puck is below the bottom
hashmark on a straight angle or the bottom of the face-off circle if
the play is coming in from a wide angle. Since a goalie only has to
take a step or two to get back to the top of the crease, it is
foolish to skate backwards when the puckcarrier is still at center
ice or just inside the blue line. When a goalie has a confident
stance and is holding his or her ground, the pressure goes to the
shooter to make a good decision with the puck because there is
minimal shooting or passing angles available. When a goalie retreats
quickly into the net, shooting, deking and passing lanes are all
wide open which means the goalie has to make an extremely athletic
save every single time a play occurs near the net. Happy wanderers
make a ton of work for themselves and get scored on way more than
they should. Small, quick and direct angle movements are much more
effective than public skating throughout the defensive zone. Be
comfortable drawing a shooter in closer to you so you can stuff
them!

Statues of Liberty:

These goalies are
throwbacks to the 1970s. They don’t use pad saves at all. They stand
up like Frankenstein or they get caught extending their goal stick
in a tripod like position. Hockey has become a lateral game.
Although there are many straight on shots that don’t require a
goalie to butterfly, let’s face it: you have to be able to use your
pads to make saves. If you just stand still and try to make an
extended stick save on every play or your gloves are hanging like
salamis in a deli window, you won’t be able to stop any shot to a
low or high corner. Goaltending is an art that also requires effort.
If it’s too much of a bother to have to move your feet, keep your
hands up or use your pads to stop a low shot, you may be better off
working in a studio art class as a subject of a still-life photo!

Summary:

To be a
successful goalie, you must instinctively know what scoring options
the opposing team is looking at and then do something that puts
doubt in their mind. Taking away real estate through proper angles,
crease presence and a good stance makes shooters think. When
shooters don’t have an obvious choice, but have to think quickly
under pressure, they make mistakes! It’s up to you to make sure you
are not a puck receptacle, sitting still, hanging out and hoping
that you can make a save when the puck is shot. That strategy does
not work!